Wall tile



Oct. 2, 1962 P. W. MAKRAY WALL TILE Original Filed Oct. 31, 1951 INVEN TOR.

Paul ZU/Va/vw platted 3,056,235 WALL THLE Paul W. Makray, Tiiemaster Corp, 4400 N. Harlem Ave, Park Ridge, Ill.

Original application Oct. 31, 1951, Ser. No. 254,144, new Patent No. 2,859,607, dated Nov. 11, 1958. Divided and this application Nov. Al, 1953, Ser. No. 772,937

4 Claims. (Cl. 50343) This invention relates to a wall tile and more particularly to a plastic wall tile.

This application comprises a division of my copending application Serial No. 254,144, filed October 31, 1951, and issued November 11, 1958, as United States Letters Patent No. 2,859,607.

To install a plastic wall tile on a wall, such as a plaster wall, the front surface of the wall is first coated with a tacky mastic, the outer surface of which is combed. The rear surface of the wall tile is then pressed against the mastic, whereupon the mastic serves as a bonding means retaining the wall tile on the wall. However, over a period of time, the mastic tends to shrink between the tile and the Wall due to a dissipation of the vehicle thereof, such as by absorption into the wall, evaporation, etc. This shrinking causes the relatively flexible wall tile to be drawn, by the receding mastic, toward the wall. A resulting esthetically undesirable cupping, or inward dishing, of the flexible wall tile results.

To eliminate this undesirable cupping, certain of the known wall tiles have been provided with a plurality of distributed projections extending from the rear surface of the tile to abut the front surface of the wall and positively prevent inward flexing of the tile. Other tiles have been made of a material sufficiently rigid to preclude the cupping thereof. These structures have the serious disadvantage of holding the wall tile rigid against the drawing forces of the shrinking mastic. Where the force of adhesion of the mastic with the rear surface of the wall tile and the front surface of the wall is sufficiently great, the mastic tends to neck midway therebetween. In certain instances, the shrinking may be sufl icient to cause a separation of a portion of the mastic thereby destroying the bond between the tile and the wall. Alternatively, the shrinking forces may cause a separation of the mastic from either the rear surface of the tile or the front surface of the wall, effecting a similar failure of the bond.

It is an object of this invention to provide a new and improved wall tile avoiding the above discussed problems.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved wall tile arranged to yield as a result of I the shrinking of the bonding mastic but which is provided with an originally convex front configuration which is changed to a substantially planar configuration when the tile so yields.

A further object is to provide a plastic wall tile having new and improved rear surface means providing an improved gripping coaction with the mastic.

Still another object is to provide such a wall tile wherein the rear surface means is arranged to provide an improved effectively undimpled configuration in the midportion of the tile.

Still another object is to provide such a plastic wall tile having a new and improved edge portion structure providing an improved support of the tile against the forward wall surface.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

grates Patent FIG. 1 is a plan view of the rear surface of a plastic wall tile embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary front plan view showing portions of four plastic wall tiles mounted on a tacky, mastic coated surface;

FIG. 3 is an edge view of the plastic wall tile of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view taken approximately along the line 44 of FIG. 2.

The instant invention comprehends a wall tile structure which is flexible to move with the mastic as it shrinks, thereby assuring maintenance of the bond effected by the mastic between the wall tile and the wall on which the tile is supported. However, undesirable cupping of the tile is precluded, as the tile is provided with a predetermined convex front surface configuration which is changed to a substantially planar configuration as the tile is drawn in by the shrinking mastic. Further, an improved maintained evenness of the configuration of the mid-portion of the tile is obtained by a novel groove arrangement therein, which groove arrangement also provides an improved bond between the mastic and the tile.

Referring now more specifically to FIGS. 1 and 3, a plastic wall tile, generally designated 1i], comprises a substantially thin body having a flexible mid-portion 11 surrounded by a peripheral edge portion 12. The outer, or front, surface 13 of mid-portion 11 is slightly convex, and the outer, or front, surface 14 of edge portion 12 is also convex having a radius of curvature smaller than the radius of curvature of the front surface 13.

As best seen in FIG. 4, edge portion 12 projects to rearwardly of the rear surface 15 of mid-portion 11, whereby the edge portion may terminate in the plane of the front surface 16 of a wall 17, formed of a material such as plaster. As seen in FIG. 4, the front surface 14 of the edge portion 12 terminates rearwardly of rear surface 15 of the mid-portion 11. As described more fully in the above indicated Patent No. 2,859,607, edge portion 12 may include a rigid, outer enclosing flange 18 comprising the portion abutting wall surface 16, and a plurality of ribs 19.

Mid-portion 11 is provided with a plurality of annular grooves 20 arranged concentrically of the center 21 of mid-portion 11 and opening rearwardly. As best seen in FIG. 4, the grooves have a generally semicircular cross section of small diameter, and are successively conterminous. The space between rear surface 15 of the tile mid-portion and front surface 15 of the wall 17 is substantially filled with the tacky plastic mastic 22, which is applied to wall surface 16 and combed prior to placement of tile 10 thereagainst. As best seen in FIG. 4, the mastic 22 also extends through the space between the rear surface 23 of edge portion 12 and wall front sur face 16.

As discussed above, each wall tile 10 is pressed against the mastic 22 previously applied to the wall surface 16. A pattern of such tiles may be applied as shown in FIG. 2. Tile 10 is pressed toward surface 16 until flange 18 thereof abuts the surface, thereby automatically assuring a proper filling of the space behind the tile with the enclosed mastic 22. The mastic, because of its tacky properties, adheres to the rear surface 15 of mid-portion 11 and rear surface 23 of edge portion 12 to bond the tile firmly and permanently to the wall surface 16. The grooves 20 in mid-portion rear surface 15 provide a substantially increased gripping surface assuring a maintained adherence of the mastic to the rear surface 15.

Notwithstanding the effective seal of the mastic 22 within the space behind the rear surfaces of the tile, the vehicle of the mastic may, over a period of time, become dissipated, as by migrating through the wall 17. This spsaaas drying-out effect causes the mastic 22 to shrink somewhat. As the mastic is bonded to the wall front surface 16 and to the tile rear surface 15, this shrinking causes the midportion 11 of the tile to be drawn rearwardly toward the wall surface 16. However, due to the original convex configuration of outer surface 13 of the tile mid-portion 11, mid-portion 11 is not cupped but, rather, is drawn to a substantially planar configuration. As the tile yields, there is no tendency for the mastic to lose its bond with the tile rear surface 15 or the wall front surface 16, or for the mastic to be drawn apart intermediate these surfaces.

As the rnid-portion 11 is being drawn rearwardly by the shrinking mastic, the grooves 20 provide an additional desirable functioning. More specifically, the grooves, being arranged concentrically of mid-portion 21, provide a series of concentric annular tile reinforcing portions 24 resisting dimpling deformation of the mid-portion of the tile by the drying mastic. Thus, the annular portions 24 tend to distribute localized forces around the tile to maintain the outer surface 13 substantially even. Similarly, the annular groove arrangement substantially prevents irregularities in the flexing of the mid-portion due to such causes as undesired localized variations in the thickness of the mid-portion or non-homogeneity in the plastic material therein.

As edge portion 12 curves rearwardly with a relatively small radius of curvature compared with the curvature of the front surface 13 of mid-portion 11, the rigidity of edge portion 12 is substantially greater than the rigidity of mid-portion 11 thereby providing a firm peripheral sup port of the tile on the Wall surface 16.

While I have shown and described one embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that it is capable of many modifications. Changes, therefore, in the construe tion and arrangement may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A wall tile for mounting on a wall coated with a tacky mastic, comprising a substantially thin body having a flexible mid-portion and a peripheral edge portion, said portions defining a front surface having a first, preselected convex configuration, and said edge portion including a peripheral portion projecting to a plane rearwardly of the rear surface of said mid-portion whereby said plane may be the plane of the front surface of the wall, said peripheral portion spacing the remainder of the body including said mid-portion forwardly of said plane with the mastic extending between and bonded to the wall front surface and said rear surface of the mid-portion, said rear surface of the tile mid-portion being provided with a plurality of closely juxtaposed annular grooves disposed concentric of the center of said mid-portion, said grooves defining therebetween concentric annular tile portions resisting dimpling deformation of said mid-portion.

2. The wall tile of claim 1 wherein said grooves are generally semicircular in cross section widening rearwardly toward said plane.

3. The wall tile of claim 1 wherein said peripheral portion comprises a continuous, rearwardly turned flange.

4. A wall tile for mounting on a wall coated with a tacky mastic, comprising a substantially thin body having a flexible mid-portion and a peripheral edge portion, said portions defining a front surface having a first, preselected convex configuration, and said edge portion including a peripheral portion projecting to a plane rearwardly of the rear surface of said mid-portion whereby said plane may be the plane of the front surface of the wall, said peripheral portion spacing the remainder of the body including said mid-portion forwardly of said plane with the mastic extending between and bonded to the wall front surface and said rear surface of the mid-portion, said rear surface of the tile mid-portion being provided with a plurality of closely juxtaposed annular grooves disposed concentric of the center of said mid-portion, said grooves defining therebetween concentric annular tile portions resisting dimpling deformation of said mid-portion, said edge portion including a rib spaced inwardly of said peripheral portion and forwardly of said plane a distance substantially less than the spacing of the mid-portion forwardly of said plane, said rib causing the edge portion of the wall tile to have substantially greater rigidity than that of the mid-portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 329,616 Baldwin Nov. 3, 1885 1,830,319 Hartzler et al. Nov. 3, 1931 1,868,815 Burgett July 26, 1932 1,896,920 Shapiro Feb. 7, 1933 2,637,995 Mann May 12, 1953 2,666,373 Mattson Jan. 19, 1954 2,693,102 Luster et al. Nov. 2, 1954 2,859,607 Makray Nov. 11, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 434,297 Great Britain of 1935 615,609 Great Britain of 1949 

